Elon Musk's X the thing we used to call Twitter lost lots of advertisers after he bought it.Now he is trying to get them back and, reportedly, using the implied threat of government interference to do so.This seems like an opportunity for people concerned about government involvement in social media to pipe up. When will that happen?Here's a 100% hypothetical scenario: Say a Big Tech CEO calls up a big ad agency and tells them it'd be a good idea to spend more money with his company. Because if they don't, he knows people in the US government I know, I know. That would never happen.Except that maybe it has been happening. And the person who is allegedly sending that message is Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X.Which is, of course, owned by Elon Musk, who works for Donald Trump, donated more than $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign, and also conducts joint interviews with him.The Wall Street Journal reports that Yaccarino and her lieutenants have been pressing Interpublic Group, one of the world's biggest ad agencies, to get its clients to spend more money on X. Hanging over IPG's head: a proposed deal to sell itself to rival Omnicom, which may need regulatory approval in the US.IPG execs interpreted X's messaging as a reminder that the Trump administration could slow down that deal, according to the Journal's veteran ad reporter Suzanne Vranica, citing several unnamed people close to the matter.We're just a month into Trump 2.0, and things are happening very quickly, so it's easy to miss stuff. But I want to underline what could be happening here because it's extraordinary. Even by the extraordinary standards we've seen established in the past few weeks: A big media platform, whose owner is deeply enmeshed with the Trump administration, is reportedly telling companies to give it business, or risk government reprisal.And if that's true, that goes beyond the performative ring-kissing we've seen from Big Tech and other business leaders in the last few months. And beyond the settlements Trump has extracted from the likes of Disney, Meta, and X itself.Those payouts stemmed from disputes between private companies and a private citizen who happened to have since become president of the United States. Now we're looking at a world where the president's allies could get special treatment, too. And people or companies who don't bow to those allies could face retribution on government decisions that should be made on their legal merits.Here's what Interpublic told me when I asked if the Journal's story was correct, which is what it also told the Journal. I'm publishing the response in full:Our role is to recommend the most strategic media investments to our clients. These objective recommendations maximize business outcomes for brands and audiences. We continually work with a cross-section of media partners and believe a broad range of options delivers the greatest value and efficiency for marketers. We do not make spending commitments on behalf of clients to any partner or platform, and decision-making authority always rests with the client.You may notice that there's nothing in there arguing that the Journal's reporting that Interpublic executives believe Yaccarino and Co. were telling it to spend more to keep out of trouble isn't true.I'm assuming that wording is very precise and specific. But just to make sure, I followed up to ask if IPG wanted to offer any additional comment. I haven't heard back. I also haven't heard back from the X press office.And just to beat this into the ground: I also haven't seen any public concern from the Trump allies who regularly complain that media and tech platforms are biased against conservatives, or that they've been too cozy with Democratic lawmakers. You'd think they'd be very upset about suggestions that a big platform used its ties to the president of the United States to coerce advertisers.But there's been nothing out of Jim Jordan, the Republican congressman who has spent years trying to root out supposed bias in Big Tech, and who now says he's trying to root out supposed collusion between big advertisers to keep ad dollars away from X. (X is also making the same allegations in lawsuits it is filing against several would-be advertisers.) Nothing from Brendan Carr, Trump's choice to run the Federal Communications Commission, who has said he wants to stamp out bias at big media companies and Big Tech companies. Nothing from Vice President JD Vance, who just lectured European leaders over the way they regulate social media while complaining that Joe Biden's administration "threatened and bullied social media companies."But look. Like I said: This is extraordinary stuff stuff we would have had a hard time imagining just a few weeks ago. So maybe I'm wrong, and people in Trumpworld are just finding out about these allegations and will be complaining loudly about them any minute now.Let me know when you hear something.

The Logoff is a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.Welcome to The Logoff. Today Im focusing on the Senates confirmation of new FBI Director Kash Patel, a move that puts a hardcore Trump loyalist at the head of federal law enforcement.Whats the latest? The Senate voted 51-49 today to confirm Patel as the head of the FBI. All Democrats and both independents voted no, as did Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Who is Kash Patel? Patel is a former public defender, prosecutor, and Republican congressional staffer. During the first Trump administration, Patel worked on the National Security Council and for the Defense Department.Hes also a longtime MAGA loyalist who has appeared on right-wing podcasts and criticized investigations into Donald Trumps conduct as political persecution. Patels 2023 book included an enemies list, naming dozens of officials whom he deemed threats to democracy via the deep state.Whats going on between Trump and the FBI? The Trump administration has fired high-ranking FBI officials and demanded bureau leadership compile a list of employees involved in the January 6 investigations, raising concerns about a coming political purge.During his confirmation hearing testimony, Patel pledged: There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI, should I be confirmed as the FBI director. But Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) accused Patel of involvement in the early firings a claim Patels team denies.Whats the big picture? Trumps critics charge hell use the Justice Department to attack his critics and take revenge for past investigations. The FBI would be critical to that process, and now a Trump loyalist rather than an official with a background in law enforcement will lead it.And with that, its time to log off I didnt know what a social biome was before reading this piece from my colleague Allie Volpe, but since learning about it, Ive grown a touch obsessed. This piece is about how you can make sure your social life actually works to make you a happier, more fulfilled person. And it turns out, some of the prescribed steps like slowing down to make sure you have at least one high-quality conversation a day are not as difficult as I expected. I hope you enjoy it. See you back here tomorrow.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Over the years, critics and everyday people have come to identify media as Lynchian, in reverence for how video games, movies, and TV shows evoke the dream-like quality of the late auteur David Lynch. Although most media described as Lynchian takes its inspiration from seminal works like Twin Peaks through referential nods, no show completely embodies the ephemeral vibe of Lynchs opaque-yet-piercing style of storytelling quite like the similarly influential shojo anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena. The story Revolutionary Girl Utena, animated by J.C. Staff, is a 1997 anime adaptation of Be-Pas and Chiho Saitos manga series of the same name. The story follows a tomboy princess named Utena Tenjo who, after the death of her parents, encounters a prince who gifts her a rose ring and promises to meet her again in the future. Rather than resign herself to being a princess, Utena decides to live up to the idea of being like the prince who saved her. This inevitably leads Utena to become involved in a series of duels with student council members at her school for the right to the Rose Bride, a girl named Anthy Himemiya. While her classmates squabble over ownership of Anthy to gain the power she wields to achieve some ambiguous notion of world revolution (objectifying and abusing her in the process), Utena takes up arms (by drawing a sword from Anthys chest) to liberate the Rose Bride from her cruel destiny. J.C. Staff At first glance, Revolutionary Girl Utena appears to be a flowery fantasy series, with much of the rhythm in the first half of its season devoted to repetitive weekly battles. Without fail, each episode features her adversaries grappling with a vice emblematic of a deadly sin before challenging Utena to a duel. Utena, in a similar manner, ascends a lavish spiral staircase to a caucus anthem with lyrics proclaiming birthrights and destiny; undergoes a fantastical, magical girl transformation; and defeats them (most of the time). Sandwiched between and behind these beats are goofy verging on absurdist anime-isms: eating spicy curry results in a Freaky Friday body-swapping; Utena dunks on the boys in basketball as onlookers judge her for being a boy-girl; and the student council schemes while glamorously exposing their peacock chests to the heavens while ghost-riding the whip to the tune of sensual jazz. Like Twin Peaks, Utena establishes a comforting yet off-kilter rhythm that threatens to become aimless. Its overarching mysteries give way to non-sequitur antics, removing any sense that the show is pressed for time to answer anywhere its going. When Utena really starts feeling like its one of those Its about the journey and not the destination romps, it cranks things up to 11 with a genuinely revolutionary final stretch of episodes. J.C. Staff Finding meaning in the absurd Similar to Agent Dale Coopers arrival in the sleepy town of Twin Peaks as it grapples with themysterious death of Laura Palmer, Utenas volley of duels serves a double meaning. Each duel is a character study unto itself where the students of Ootori Academy, including Utena herself, are stuck in time and forced to adapt or die. Not in the literal sense (mostly), but in the metaphorical way of letting go of idolized memories of people and the past they wished would last forever and move forward. Everyone has rose-tinted glasses, preventing them from confronting the illusions proliferating their nostalgia-rich school terrarium. Rather than have Utena play prince by saving Anthy and her adversaries, she pushes them to save themselves. Going from a fluttering shojo fantasy series to an existential meditation on par with Neon Genesis Evangelion is no small feat, but Utena does so gracefully. How it achieves this feat comes from the anime, in true Lynchian fashion, relaying its themes in an evident and roundabout fashion. Much of the former occurs in repetitive line deliveries accompanied by a YouTuber-esque red arrow pointing or dinging at objects the show wants audiences to focus on in a given scene. The latter goes full theater through a play-within-play interlude where silhouettes of two ladies act out seemingly tangential asides that tie directly back into the animes themes of love and revolution. While the show gives viewers much to chew on with its heavy-symbolism approach to doling out information, it is also heady with its interpersonal dialogue. J.C. Staff Whenever characters in Utena feel some way, they express it aggressively. Theyll shout all the air out of their lungs, callously jab at each others insecurities, or hold their tongue in such an obvious way that their silence speaks volumes. Although the English dub can easily be accused of being as wooden and awkward as the actors in Twin Peaks, youre never confused by the truths and motivations that drive its characters to achieve their goals. Everything is laid bare for all to see, even if the players dont realize the truths staring them in the face. As the series treks out of its mid-season lull and barrels toward its Who Killed Laura Palmer arc in its Black Rose arc, the show pulls off an astounding feat: transforming irritable and bratty characters like Nanami into some of the series strongest characters, making them complex voices of reason. Sunrise/Crunchyroll Timeless Influence Visually, Utena has been referenced in anime, Western cartoons, and comic books like Sailor Moon, One Piece, Code Geass, Fullmetal Alchemist, She-Ra, Steven Universe, and Scott Pilgrim. The series also served as the core premise of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, which is evident when you consider that anime writer Ichiro Okuouchi contributed to both anime (and Code Geass). Utenas unassuming character design and premise are one of animes best honey traps. Despite its modest appearance, Utena is a shojo series that stands shoulder to shoulder with prominent josei and seinen series like Nana and Berserk. Similar to the aforementioned titles, Utena does not shy away from exploring abusive relationships, struggles for autonomy, and the non-linear steps toward recovery. Its relationships, even those between Utena and Anthy, are messier than they appear. Its sibling relationships, many of which are rife with brother-sister complexes, are even more disturbing. The entire series is overwhelmingly captivating and teeming with gripping twists and revelations.While many a Utena fan will attest to the necessity of multiple rewatches and supplemental YouTube video essays to digest the series depth of metaphors, foreshadowing, subtle visual clues that hint at characterization, and where its sequel film (Adolescence of Utena) falls in the equation, like any Lynchian work, seeking concrete and clinical intent behind the why to its artistic and narrative choices matters far less than the gut feeling you have as you walk away from the shows 39th episode. You can glean any array of meanings from the anime, be it butting against the patriarchy, not-so-subtle queer representation, or how seeking comfort in nostalgia will stifle revolutions of the heart. No matter how you look at it, Revolutionary Girl Utena is a Lynchian anime that was both ahead of its time and timeless. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

By AJ Dellinger Published February 20, 2025 | Comments (4) | Twitch logo appears on a phone screen that sits above an illuminated keyboard. Ralf Liebhold (Shutterstock) The Internet is foreveruntil it isnt. On Wednesday, Twitch announced that it will implement new limits on archived video Highlights and Uploads that users can store on their account. The new rules, set to take effect on April 19, 2025, will set a 100-hour storage limit on saved videos. Any account with more than 100 hours of content will need to manually remove highlights and uploadsincluding unpublished content that is saved to the channel but not publicly accessibleor be subject to an automated purge of content that Twitch will carry out. The company says it will delete content with the least views, until they are under the limit. The streaming service was pretty transparent about the fact that money is the reason for the change to its archive rules: The storage of this content is costly, Twitch said, reasoning that cutting down on saved Highlights and Uploads helps us manage resources more efficientlyand continue to invest in new features and improvements. According to the company, just 0.5% of creators on the platform have exceeded the 100-hour storage limit, but that still amounts to potentially millions of hours of content that will be unceremoniously deleted, all to benefit Twitchs bottom line. Highlights were introduced as a way for creators to pick the most important moments of their own stream and curate a reel of their best content. While Twitch claims that the feature hasnt been as effective at driving engagement as it had hoped, The Verge points out that the speedrunning community has relied on Highlights to save record-breaking runs. SummoningSalt, a well-known YouTuber who creates documentaries on various speedrunning histories said on Bluesky that Twitchs decision to limit storage marks a really sad day for speedrunning.Another speedrunner, MrJimmysteel25, tweeted that for their community, highlights were never about discovery or engagement but about preserving history. People use highlights to archive, and youre destroying YEARS of speedrunning and other communites history. Users can download and save their own Highlights, but this presents a local storage problem. And the fact that Twitch has imposed this limit as a means of cost savings leaves open the possibility that an additional crunch could come if, at any point in the future, Twitch needs to juice its bottom line. It shouldnt be lost in this whole situation that Twitch is owned by Amazon, which operates the largest cloud storage platform in the world. Its just another reminder that when you trust history to a corporation, itll only preserve as much as it can monetize.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By AJ Dellinger Published January 3, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published November 26, 2024 By Harri Weber Published October 7, 2024 By Oscar Gonzalez Published June 28, 2024 By Oscar Gonzalez Published June 24, 2024 Levi Winslow, Kotaku Published April 22, 2024

In this tutorial we are going to show how to work with Rokoko mocap in Cascadeur. We'll cover all the steps starting with import, clean up using automatic cleanup tools, etc. We will retarget, unbake and then edit the animation using AutoPhysics and Interval Edit Mode, as well as use Ragdoll0:00 Introduction00:22 Import and Rigging02:34 Fulcrum Points03:24 Retargeting04:35 Editing the Jump 06:39 Using AutoPhysics to fix the Jump08:22 Fix the Feet Sliding09:27 Changing the Weight of the Weapon to Affect Balance10:23 Priority Frame11:00 Improving the Slashing Animation12:25 Ragdoll13:32 ConclusionLearn more about Cascadeur license plans: https://cascadeur.com/plans Learn how to start using Cascadeur: https://cascadeur.com/learn Join our English-speaking community on Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/Ymwjhpn Follow us on:Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CascadeurEN/ Twitter https://twitter.com/Cascadeur_soft #Animation #Tutorial #Rokoko #gamedev

Feelings of exclusion arent all that fun. And they arent all that unusual, either, at least not for narcissists. According to a new study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, narcissists are more likely to feel left out than non-narcissists, partially due to their actual exclusion and partially due to their perceived exclusion.Feeling ostracized is a subjective experience based on the perception of social cues by the individual, said Christiane Bttner, a study author and a social psychologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, according to a press release. Our findings suggest that individuals with higher levels of narcissism are more sensitive to exclusion cues, leading them to perceive ostracism more frequently.Seeking Social StatusNarcissism is a personality trait thats defined by self-absorption, with many so-called grandiose narcissists seeking social status, admiration, and acknowledgment. But do most grandiose narcissists actually acquire the social status and the admiration that they seek? Studying thousands of participants through a series of surveys and experiments, a team of researchers recently investigated the narcissistic experience of exclusion. Their results suggest that grandiose narcissists are more likely to feel ostracized, both because they are left out and because they perceive themselves to be left out, thanks, in all likelihood, to their tendency to see ambiguous social situations as exclusionary. Some may be intentionally ostracized, Bttner said in the press release, while others may merely believe they are being excluded.Read More: Why Do We Experience FOMO?Experiencing ExclusionTo start their investigation, the researchers turned to a survey of almost 1,600 individuals whose narcissism and experience of exclusion were assessed through a series of ranked statements in 2015. Analyzing the participants responses, which ranged on a six-point scale of applicability from fully applicable to not at all applicable, the team found that the participants who tended to show narcissistic traits were also the participants who tended to feel shut out or ignored in social situations. To refine their results, the researchers then asked around 300 participants to take narcissism assessments and to record their feelings of past and present ostracism, reporting present ostracism over a period of 14 days. Participants with higher narcissism scores reported feeling excluded more frequently in daily life, Bttner said in the release, aligning with our earlier survey results. Additional studies suggested that these feelings of exclusion are a result of reality as well as perception. One of the teams experiments found, for instance, that non-narcissists typically avoid narcissists, while others including an experiment in which participants were asked whether they would feel left out in an imaginary social situation showed that narcissists tended to see exclusion in socially ambiguous scenarios.Read More: How Your Brain Processes RejectionTreating Ostracism, and Narcissism, TooThe researchers results suggest that narcissism and the experience of exclusion could contribute to each other. Analyzing the results of a long, longitudinal survey of around 72,700 participants conducted from 2009 to 2022, the team found that a shift in an individuals narcissism was associated with a corresponding shift in their feelings of exclusion in the following year, while a shift in an individuals feelings of exclusion was also associated with a corresponding shift in their narcissism. Narcissism may contribute to social exclusion, Bttner said in the release, but ostracism itself can also fuel the development of narcissistic traits.According to the researchers, the results speak to the complexity of our social interactions and could help inform interventions, not only against ostracism but against conflicts tied to narcissism as well.If people with high narcissistic traits are more likely to feel and be excluded, this could contribute to escalating tensions in workplaces or social groups. At the same time, their heightened sensitivity to exclusion might make them more likely to react aggressively, Bttner said in the release. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving interpersonal relationships and reducing social friction should consider both the perceptions and behaviors of the individuals involved.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Narcissists Experience of OstracismSam Walters is a journalist covering archaeology, paleontology, ecology, and evolution for Discover, along with an assortment of other topics. Before joining the Discover team as an assistant editor in 2022, Sam studied journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

In a hopeful step for medicine, a 2-and-a-half-year-old child born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has shown no symptoms of the genetic condition, all thanks to a gene-targeting drug that the mother took during late pregnancy.A new study details this breakthrough case of prenatal therapy that holds promise for future treatment of the neurodegenerative disorder, which leads to the wasting of muscles over time and is usually diagnosed in infancy or early childhood.Prenatal Treatment for Spinal Muscular AtrophySo far, the childs lack of symptoms comes as a successful result of the orally administered drug risdiplam, developed by pharmaceutical company Roche, based in Basel, Switzerland. Risdiplam works by targeting the SMN2 gene to induce increased production of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein; a deficiency of this protein is what causes the most common forms of SMA. Treatment for SMA has commonly been administered after birth, but the new study demonstrates the potential for prenatal treatment as a viable option with more testing.Missing ProteinsSMA, estimated to occur in around 1 in every6,000 to 1 in every 11,000 births in the U.S., can range in onset and symptoms.Types 1 through 4 are linked to a mutation in both copies of the SMN1 gene (on chromosome 5), which leads to few or no full-length, functional SMN proteins produced. This can be partially offset by similar, neighboring SMN2 genes, but these genes produce lower levels of SMN protein, and its copies vary from person to person (individuals with SMA who have more than one or two copies of SMN2 generally exhibit a milder form of the condition).The most severe form, type 1 or SMA-1 (making up 60 percent of SMA cases), shows up at birth or before 6 months of age. Babies with SMA-1 typically display symptoms like muscle weakness, a weak cry, and breathing distress, and many die before the age of 2. Treatments that begin shortly after birth can improve survival and motor function in infants, but these have not been able to completely cure the disorder.A Turning Point for TreatmentThe new study is associated with the Pediatric Translational Neuroscience Initiative at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, launched to study the potential of in-utero treatment of a fetus with SMA-1.According to a press release, both parents in the case were carriers of SMA genetic variants, and they previously had another infant child born with SMA-1 before current treatments were available, who died at 16 months of age.The parents' 2-and-a-half-year-old child, also born with SMA-1, has shown no features of the disorder. During the final six weeks of pregnancy, the mother took risdiplam daily. Treatment continued after birth, with the child continuing to take the drug. After birth, the child was diagnosed with three developmental abnormalities (a now-resolved ventricular septal defect, optic nerve hypoplasia, and a brainstem asymmetry), but these are all thought to have occurred early in fetal development before exposure to risdiplam.Scientists at St. Jude are still monitoring the child for any developments, but so far, no signs of SMA have appeared. As a result, the study could potentially reflect a major turning point in SMA-1 treatment, addressing the disorder in the womb to control symptoms that would normally appear at or shortly after birth. Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Muscular Dystrophy Association. Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. The role of survival motor neuron protein (SMN) in protein homeostasisClevland Clinic. Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)The New England Journal of Medicine. Risdiplam for Prenatal Therapy of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Promising results from first prenatal therapy for spinal muscular atrophyJack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and previously interned at Recycling Today magazine.

Home Plate Umpire Brian Walsh uses an earpiece to hear the electronic notification as to weather a pitch was a ball or a strike by the ABS system during a AAA minor league baseball game.Image: Rich Schultz/Getty Images ShareIf theres one thing baseball fans are averse to, its change. Over the MLBs 149-year history, alterations to the games rules, like lowering the pitchers mound (1968) or introducing instant replay challenges (2014) came only after years of heated debate between reformers and purists. Maybe the most contentious issue ever to divide these two camps is whether or not to replace notoriously inaccurate human home plate umpires with less fallible machines. Though that was once largely considered out of the bounds of possibility, MLB games officiated by so-called robot umpires are now closer to reality than ever before.Starting this week, batters stepping up to the plate during spring training games will have the ability to challenge an umpires pitch calls and have them immediately reviewed by a computer. A human official will still stand behind the plate calling balls and strikes for the whole game, but the so-called robot umpire, powered by a computer vision system called Hawk-Eye, will be tracking the location of every pitch. Players from both teams will each have two opportunities or challenges per game to contest the human call with the machine. Though this hybrid umpire system wont make its way to regular season major league games in 2025, player and fan reactions during this crucial trial period could determine whether or not it becomes a regular staple in games. Ready or not, robot umpires are here.One of over 30 ABS cameras monitor each pitch for balls and strikes during a AAA minor league baseball game between the Memphis Redbirds and Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Image: Rich Schultz/Getty Images Rich SchultzWhy do some players want automated calls?Anyone whos watched baseball on television in recent years will be familiar with the faint, rectangular box that appears in front of the batter. Thats the strike zone. While nobody on the field can actually physically see said zone, it does have precise, measurable dimensions that vary from batter to batter. (In general, the strike zone is the width of the home plate and the area in height between a batters shoulders and the bottom of their knees). Home plate umpires tasked with calling balls and strikes know the strike zone parameters in theory, but they often fall short of making perfect calls because, well, theyre human. Past research has shown that on aggregate, human umpire strike zones end up looking less like the desired rectangle, and more like an oval. 100-mile-per-hour fastballs and quickly plummeting curveballs arent the easiest things to judge correctly every time.Thats where Hawk-Eye comes in. First implemented during televised cricket games in 2001, the system uses specially designed cameras to track a balls trajectory from multiple angles. That is then immediately fed into a computer vision algorithm that determines its final location. While it isnt mathematically perfect, its far more accurate over time than the human eye. Hawk-Eye systems are already implemented at most professional tennis tournaments and have even led to the removal of human line judges in three of the sports four biggest tournaments. The National Football League (NFL) also started using Hawk-Eye during the 2021-2022 season for certain instant replay reviews. The MLB began using the same technology for video replay of certain calls in 2014, but not for balls and strikes.How will the robot umpire work during gamesThe pitch review system being trialed during spring training formally called Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS), is attempting to find a middle ground between all human and all machine pitch calls. Hawk-Eye is working behind the scenes tracking every pitch, but teams will only be able to call on it twice per game as a challenge to the home plate umpire. This strategic use of replays is similar to the way challenges already work in the sport for other reviewable calls like home runs and plays at bases.Unlike that prior system though, ABS challenges can only be requested by the hitter, pitcher, or catcher. To signal a challenge, the player will tap the top of their hat (or helmet in the batters case). From there, a graphic showing Hawk-Eyes call will appear on the main video board for everyone in attendance, players and fans alike, to see in real-time. A team only loses one of its challenges if the umpires initial call is correct. So, in theory, a team could challenge balls and strikes more than twice per game. The clip below shows an example of how this challenge was used to overturn a strike-out call.This is a pretty big decision for the game of baseballthat we want to get everybody to weigh in on, MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Morgan Sword said in a recent MLB.com blog post,The ABS system, according to the MLB, will be in place at roughly 60% of spring training games this year, which means every team will have the opportunity to experiment with it at least once. Spring training officially kicked off this week and goes through the start of the regular season on March 27. But this isnt the first robot umpires have been used in professional baseball. The league began experimenting with ABS for all balls and strikes (full ABS) during Triple-A minor league games starting in 2019. That full ABS system quickly led to an increase in walks, and in turn, made games take longer. The MLB says the more limited challenge system was implemented based on feedback from those trials.Unsurprisingly, players and coaches arent all on the same page about whether robot umpires in the Big Leagues is a good idea. In an interview with The Rockies Insider this week, Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black spoke positively of the system, saying it adds another element for fan engagement.It adds another element for the fan experience to get involved, Black said.Theres an allure to it, he added. I think is a good thing.In a recent interview with The Athletic, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who himself used the challenge system while playing in Triple-A, reiterated that optimism. He even went as far as to call the challenges the most fun part of the game. At the same, others are worried some players may be too quick to use the challenges. In that same Athletic report, Morgan Ensberg, the manager of Triple-A team the Durham Bulls, said catchers were potentially wasting challenges on balls they thought should be called strikes. Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman similarly worried some teammates might flippantly request a challenge that would be better spent on a more important, game-critical pitch.I mean, I probably wouldnt even do it [challenge a call], Freeman told The Athletic. But we have a couple of guys that I would be worried that theyd just challenge every (pitch), that every strike call would be challenged and were going to run out in the first inning.Even if players are on the fence, polling shows baseball fans might be warming up to the idea of robot umpires. A 2022 Morning Consult survey found that 48 percent of self-described baseball fans said they supported the implementation of machines capable of automatically calling balls and strikes, compared to just 32 percent who opposed the idea.Baseball is trying to maintain its popularity by modernizingThe ABS system is part of a broader, years-long effort by the MLB to modernize a game steeped in tradition. That historical resistance to technological change has given the sport staying power, but it has also dealt a blow to its popularity. Just 10 percent of US adults surveyed by Gallup last year listed baseball as their favorite sport. Thats down from a high of 39 percent in the 1940s. Analysts have attributed that decline, in part, to the drawn-out length of games compared to more condensed sports like football and basketball. The MLBs recent introduction of a pitch clock in 2023 and limited mound visits in 2018 were both efforts to try and cut down the overall length of games. ABS challenges could similarly cut down on the amount of time batters, pitchers, and catchers spend bickering with umpires over various borderline pitches.And aside from making more accurate calls, the challenge system, as Black of the Rockies noted, has the potential to add the benefit of introducing a degree of excitement and fan involvement during more moments of the game. If the long track record of Hawk-Eye used during tennis matches is a guide, fans are more than willing to ooh and ahh in excitement at a digital representation of a ball on a giant screen.

Tony WareShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more Romanian headphone manufacturer Meze Audio has been a constant in the Popular Science wired headphones rotation. That trend will continue with the POET, a new open-back offering that injects high-fun hi-fi into the companys planar-magnetic lineup. Its yet another ultra-low-distortion, ultra-high-style entry with impeccable build quality. And with an entirely serviceable designfrom its steel grille, magnesium chassis, and titanium-alloy headband to its Rinaro Isodynamics Hybrid Array drivers in their fiberglass-reinforced polymer housingsits an investment that can continue paying dividends. The Meze family resemblance is strong, with external choices that reflect internal characteristics. The compact earcup shape and removable magnetic ear cushions recall the LIRIC II, released around this time last year. And, indeed, the POET sits at the same $2,000 price point as the LIRIC and is presented as similarly portable and easily driven off dongles or DAPs. The suede suspension headrest, grille pattern, and mix of copper and silver accents, meanwhile, nod to the Empyrean and Elite Tungsten headphones. Its an amalgam of unmistakable Meze design language that affirms an undeniably Meze house sound.While Ive only spent a few days with the POET, its been a whirlwind romance. There are headphones you cant stop thinking about and headphones you cant stop thinking ofand the POET is the latter type. Ive no desire to run its technicalities over and over in my head so much as enjoy its presence on my head. But dissect I must Meze Audio If you define audiophiles the way I dosomeone as, if not more, focused on their sources as they are the source materialyou would not describe the POET as an audiophile headphone despite it deserving its place among them. While plenty can be measured inside these with their new MZ6 driver topped with a Dan Clark Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS), its not bleeding-edge technology solely obsessed with leading-edge transients. Its deliberate refinements that are all about delivering a euphoric, euphonic encounter. While every high-end Meze headphone is an object to treasure, the POET is more for music lovers than the gear-obsessed.Theres plentiful yet precisely textured low-end blending into an intimate, grippy lower midrange, then a slight recession that flows into a shimmery but not shouty treble crest. To my ears (and yours may differ), its articulate but idyllictracing details onto your temple, not etching them into your eardrums. The POET wouldnt be your first choice if its an infinitely spacious experience youre after, but these headphones still offer enough flare (flair?) with excellent separation and staging. Plus, at a well-distributed 350g, theyre comfortable for long listening sessions. If you prefer brighter, drier, more studious reproduction, the $2,999 Empyrean II is your better choice. And if you want even more resolving, rich, and signal-chain reactive, step up to the $4K Elite Tungsten. But if your mood leans toward lush, the Meze Audio POET is available now for $2,000.

Nature, Published online: 20 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00540-2The Trump administration is exploiting a loophole to keep a funding freeze in place, leaving researchers in limbo.